


Doohickey

by SilenceoftheSolitude



Category: Stargate SG-1
Genre: Daniel Jackson/Jack O'Neill Friendship, F/M, Gen, Male Friendship
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2014-05-05
Updated: 2014-05-05
Packaged: 2018-01-22 02:05:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,677
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1572032
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SilenceoftheSolitude/pseuds/SilenceoftheSolitude
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Boredom does terrible things to one’s sense of self-preservation.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Doohickey

**Author's Note:**

> Set somewhere during season 9 (no spoilers).
> 
> I have no beta so all mistakes are my own. Any comment (positive or negative - especially if constructive criticism) is very much appreciated as it helps me improve.
> 
> Disclaimer: Stargate SG-1 and its characters are the property of Showtime/Viacom, MGM/UA, Double Secret Productions, and Gekko Productions. No copyright infringement intended.

**Doohickey**  
  
Loud thumping sounds startle him to a state of awaking. He turns into the bed to stare at the digital watch on his nightstand, “Hell of a dream.” He turns around in his bed and closes his eyes again only to be disturbed by the same sound again. Groaning loudly he pushes out of bed, stumbling down to the floor. A string of curses follow him as he reaches the door.

He checks through the peephole and is startled to see Daniel walking on the carpeted pavement of the condo’s hall. “Who let you in?” Jack thinks he’ll have to have a talk with the night doorkeeper; who lets in someone like Daniel at three in the morning?

“Hi, Jack. Nice to see you too… I’m fine, thanks for asking. How-”

“I didn’t ask you how you were and I don’t care.” His voice is quite harsh, but he doesn’t exactly care, “it’s three in the morning, for crying out loud!”

“Oh… right…" Daniel pauses searching for the right thing to say, "sorry?” He squeezes his eyes trying to look apologetic, but he only succeeds in looking more annoying than usual, even in the dim light of the corridor.

Especially in the dim light of the corridor.

“Whatever.” Jack looks resigned, “what do you want, Daniel?”

“I’m in need of a place to crash, and you happen to live in DC, so I thought… why not?” He’s way too cheerful.

“Because it’s three in the morning?” Jack lets out a huff.

“Yeah, we’ve established that. But now that you’re awake I don’t really see any problem, do you?” An incredible powerful urge to maim Daniel surfaces into Jack’s mind, but he pushes it back, no reasons to argue and burn the last chance he has of catching a couple of hours of sleep.

He shoves him in rather unkindly and tells him to settle on the sofa. He gets him some covers and a pillow and then retreats back into his room, shutting the door so as to prevent any noise or light to filter through. He drops his head on the pillow and goes back to sleep, too tired to worry about what the archaeologist in the other room might be up to or the fact that if he’s here it most likely means SG-1 is off duty for a decent amount of time.

 

* * *

  
  
He wakes to the sound of his buzzing alarm going off. By the time he has made it out of his room, Daniel is already in the kitchen with an empty mug on the counter in front of him. It’s only now that Jack fully realizes that there’s a wicked gleam in his eyes.

He squints his own eyes trying to see through his friend, but he fails miserably, “oh, hell… what are you planning Danny-boy?”

“Me?” The utter look of innocence on his face does nothing to quell Jack’s uneasiness. “I’m not planning anything," he says with an angelic face and it's then that Jack is convinced that he's definitely up to something bad. "I just came here to visit my best friend, whom I haven’t seen in quite some time.”

“The day I’ll believe anything you say I’ll let you know, in the meantime make yourself useful and pour me a cup of coffee.” He pushes a tie from out his pocket and starts tying it around his collar.

He hates that he has to dress so formally every day to go to work. He relishes the days he could wear BDUs and be done with it… damn bureaucrats!

“So, how’s work?” Daniel watches on as he adjusts his shirt, “you don’t look really comfortable in the uniform.”

“That’s because I’m not… comfortable.” He sighs, “all the talking is killing me. I miss the action, to be honest…" Jack's gets lost in his thoughts for a while.

"You shouldn’t be here," he says eventually, pointing an accusatory finger in Daniel's direction. "Shouldn’t you be… oh, I don’t know, translating something in some ruin somewhere?”

“Well, as much as I’d love to, Cam got injured so Landry decided to give us a break," he starts explaining. "T went to visit home and Sam is apparently stuck on some ‘doohickey’," he makes air quotes and emphasizes the last word. "So I decided to pay you a visit and see how you were doing."

Jack's eyes narrow in look for some fault in Daniel's story but he can't actually find any. "I'm doing my job and I have to get to work early," he says eventually.

Daniel's eyes lighten up with giddy expectation and Jack can't help the feeling that his safety is at risk. "Actually," Daniel says in his most pleading tone. "If you don’t mind, I’d like to hang around your office for the day.”

Jack does nothing to hide his puzzlement at Daniel's choice of how to spend his free time; he could be poking at some artifact right now and instead decided to come all the way Washington to... what? Watch him work? Jack isn't even sure.

Of course Daniel's choice to spend his free time with Jack stings because Sam didn't even call to tell him she was on downtime, but he makes a stellar work at hiding his disappointment for Carter's choice of studying a damn doohickey instead of coming to Washington for a visit.

“Maybe I could help you sort through some paperwork.” The absolute lack of sense in the suggestion startles the general, “I can stay with your assistant if that makes you feel better.”

Yep, Jack surmises, Daniel definitely has a plan, a purpose.

Jack is really too observant not to have understood Daniel's plan is going to involve some sort of humiliation for Jack himself. “OK, sure,” boredom does terrible things to one’s sense of self-preservation. Anything the archaeologist has planned is clearly intended to get on Jack’s nerves, and he doesn’t care as long as it takes time off of whatever he is supposed to do. It feels a lot like when Daniel saved him from that briefing on rocks. As long as he didn’t have to bore himself listening to Balinski's report, Jack was ready to submit himself to any and all sorts of Daniel’s games.

The clerk at the entrance greets him with extreme politeness, but his eyes rests on Daniel rather questioningly. Jack glares at him in return; it’s his buddy’s fault if Daniel is strolling by his side, so he’s not really inclined to accept any form of judgment. Clearly, Daniel’s over-eagerness doesn’t help… it never does. Too much coffee.

The driver doesn’t inquire, but Jack starts believing that if he doesn’t explain the rumor mill will end up bringing some unwanted attention. Where are useful manuals like ‘How to explain that you’re straight to your driver 101’ when you need them?

Ultimately Daniel doesn’t let Jack over-think about his clear discomfort, keeping him busy with what Jack supposes should be interesting tales about some new translation he’s been working on and tales about Merlin Jack enjoyed a lot more on cartoons. He doesn’t like to admit it, but he has missed Daniel’s rambling and his excitement, it’s not something he’d ever have thought possible.

When they reach his office he notices how Daniel isn’t sure of what to do with himself, which means his plan – and Jack isn’t quite that sure that he has one at this point – isn’t all that specific. Not that he has ever had a specific plan figured out in all the years they have known each other; he was usually the one that put them into harm’s way with all his poking and exploring going into situations unprepared.

He notices the weird look his assistant is giving the archaeologist and decides that leaving him outside his office is not an idea even worth considering. “Come in, Daniel.”

He doesn’t have to say it twice.

 

* * *

 

They manage not to maim each other for the best part of the morning, mainly because Jack is submerged by phone calls. When his assistant knocks on his door around lunch time announcing that there’s someone who would like to see him without an appointment he doesn’t miss the gleam of hope in Daniel’s eyes, or how fast his head pops out of the book he is reading.

“Daniel?” He stares hard at his friend, asking a whole load of questions with just his name.

“Jack?”

“Innocence doesn’t suit you, Daniel.” He doesn’t miss the look he receives from his dutiful assistant. “It’s OK,” he tells him. The guy doesn’t need another cue to head back and usher whoever is here to bother Jack into the office - he is efficient that way.

The archaeologist stays put in his chair, and Jack isn’t reassured at all since it’s blatantly clear that he’s fighting with every ounce of his being not to stand up. Fishy doesn’t even get close to describe his behavior.

When he sees the blond head stepping into his office everything seems to make perfect sense. Damn Daniel and his poking!

Apparently she doesn’t recognize the archaeologist’s head, because while she still is in time to retreat, she doesn't. “I’m sorry, sir. I didn’t know you were busy, I can come by later…”

“Oh, no Sam, please don’t. I’m sure this ‘doohickey’ requires your undivided attention.” Jack can see the mortified expression on Sam’s face as she recognizes Daniel's voice coming from the chair. Now the top of his head seems so familiar she isn't quite sure how she didn't recognize it instantly.

“Just to be clear, Daniel…" Jack asks, seen as how Sam is left speechless, "you came all the way to Washington to tell her that?”

“Oh no, Jack… I came all the way to Washington to let her know that I’m not blind.” He smiles triumphantly and stands up, turning to face Carter, “definitely worth it.” He brushes past her and disappears out of the door.

Sam slouches in the seat Daniel just vacated, “I’m never going to hear the end of this…”


End file.
